Stop wasting energy: Tips for your TV

When you yourself are running low on energy, you probably turn to your most interesting household friend for a little low-key entertainment. That’s right, I’m talking about your television. With no more effort than a flick of your clicker finger, you can easily sink into a Jersey Shore marathon-induced stupor for most of a Sunday. Not that I’d know anything about that. Read here, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2011/02/01/stop-wasting-energy-tips-for-your-tv/

10 ways to save energy this year

January represents a fresh start, a new beginning, a whole new year ahead. It's a time when lots of people think about personal growth (education, adventure, creativity) or reduction (exercise and diet).

This year, try some impersonal reduction and create better energy habits. Saving energy may not build your character or change your clothing size, but it will save you some money and make a big difference for the environment.

Which video game console is most energy efficient?

During the holidays, one of the most popular purchases is a video gaming console. Long gone are the days when simple systems allowed you to chase a dot around the screen. Today's video games are sophisticated, lifelike, and even good for your health.

Although the pricetag is a big issue when people try to decide between the most popular video game systems, it's important to remember that the cost of the system doesn't end at the cash register. These consoles demand a considerable amount of power to deliver top performance, and if you're not paying attention, they could end up costing you hundreds in excess energy usage.

http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/12/21/which-video-game-console-is-most-energy-efficient/

Starbucks saves millions on energy bills with LED lighting

OK, I'm not a big fan of Starbucks but every bit helps.

On a light-by-light basis, changing from incandescent to LED only makes a tiny difference in energy consumption and cost, but when you're talking about retrofitting a large building like the Empire State Building or replacing bulbs in thousands of Starbucks stores, the energy savings can be huge.
http://www.getwithgreen.com/2010/12/13/starbucks-saves-millions-on-energy-bills-with-led-lighting/

Where I'm at now

My wife and I started our commitment to a lower carbon footprint in September 2007. Just over 2 1/2 years and we've changed just about everything in our life.

The next series of posts will be about some of the transitions we've made.

Switching to CFL's

These may cost a bit more but they last a lot longer. We've only had to replace 2 in the past few years. We changed 18 or so on the first blitz. When we compared our electric bill the following season, the change was a shocker.

 Blue - Winter       Green - Summer

The chart shows the drop in energy use from January 08 to January 09. Really, this was only due to the switch to CFL's with a little bit of diligence in turning out lights that were not being used. It took a year to compare since we had to wait for the proper season. You can't compare January with August since your utility uses are very different.

This kind of proved our effort wasn't in vain. This was one of the first things we changed. Now, a year and a half into our lifestyle adjustment, it was the third bit of proof we were on to something. Sometimes it takes time to see results.

Device mimics leeches, ejects plug when gadget is done charging

Leeches drink blood until they're full and then fall off of their host, but our plugged-in gadgets keep drinking electricity even once they're fully charged.
The Outlet Regulator changes this by ejecting the plug from the electricity source once the gadget is done charging, turning vampire electronics into leeches.

Check it out here, http://conorklein.com/index.php?/ongoing/outlet-regulator/

Town’s LED street lights national first

Annapolis Royal may be the first town in Canada to replace all of its street lights with energy-efficient LED fixtures.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities "is coming to do a feature on us," Mayor Phil Roberts said Wednesday.
"I didn’t realize we were the first in the country."
He said Nova Scotia Power started installing the LED lights about three weeks ago.
Read here, http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1145301.html

Vampire electronics

Vampire appliances are pretty much anything you can plug in that still sucks energy when it’s supposedly turned off. Some are pretty obvious - the clocks on your microwave or VCR/DVD player burn all day, everyday. We know they’re not "off" because we cans see their LEDs glow. But other electronics, from your television to your cell phone charger also draw power when they’re plugged in but not in use. Read more here, http://cleantechnica.com/2008/05/03/smart-power-strips-the-garlic-of-vampire-electronics/

Home audio gets greener, as stereo manufacturers are doing more to reduce power consumption

As homeowners, many of us will use our home remodel as an opportunity to "upgrade" our existing home audio and visual equipment such as televisions, amplifiers, satellite/cable box, DVD players, whole house audio, video games, etc.
With these upgrades, you have an opportunity to reduce power consumption in your home – making your home a greener home. Further, if your new equipment is an addition to your power consumption, then there are products that are better choices than others relative to energy consumption. Read here, http://www.getwithgreen.com/2008/05/04/audio-visual-which-whole-house-audio-amplifiers-are-most-efficient/